Performance Package (After Market)

[kevorama]

Hey gang, I rode down to Cuba, MO. yesterday in near freezing temps again. Len says he's going to change my nick to Iceman, LOL. Three of the last four Fridays that I have ridden down there were in the 30's and below (BTW, it's a 2 hour drive for me). He does some performance package installs in steps. The one that I had done included Elka's Stage 1 front shocks, Ram Air Induction and Green Filter, Nology Performance Plug wires & Iridium plugs, plus the 2 Brother's Carbon Fiber Exhaust.

WOW!

It took me about 10 hours of riding my RTS to 'unlearn' many years of motorcycle, muscle memory, responses. I am having to learn all over again after only 3,800 miles. Doing the mechanical horse power boosting all in one shot and the handling that the Elka's have added is mind-blowing! We were already impressed with what the Spyder had to offer right out of the box. I never did quite like the twistys on it, though. The rolling in and out of the turns was a little much after a while. I didn't realize how much I was fighting it until I left Len's shop with all the goodies mounted and ready for a cold weather break-in.

The Elka's are worth their weight in gold. Not only was I going into the turns 10-15 mph faster, but with confidence and was accelerating midway through the turn like it was on rails! The other stuff feels and sounds awesome. The dyno readings that other folks were getting ranged from the mid/high teens to 20 extra hp at the rear wheel. On top of that, I should expect to gain maybe 5 - 6 mpg do to the more efficient burning of the fuel/air and the 26 lbs difference from stock pipe to CF.

The wife and I suited up in our warmest riding gear and did some running today. She really noticed a difference in how the bike felt on the HWY with the new shocks. She only rides as a passenger at this point in time. Many of you already have these upgrades on your bike, I'm just putting this in for those that are up in the air on what to do next. If you don't do the HP thing, at least check into the Elka shocks. That will make a world of difference on your future riding experiences.:thumbup:

[Joanie]

This is true. As a passenger I enjoyed the ride!!

[GLRange]

I really would like to do the front Elka shocks soon as I can. I understand getting the front ones is much more noticeable than the rear. I have heard nothing but great feedback about them. I would be interested in the rear at some point as well but have not seen much info on the rear. I have a question about how it works with the air ride adjustment?..or does it replace it partially?, I think I'll go to Elkas site again and try a search her and see if I can find more info. :read:

[kevorama]

I really would like to do the front Elka shocks soon as I can. I understand getting the front ones is much more noticeable than the rear. I have heard nothing but great feedback about them. I would be interested in the rear at some point as well but have not seen much info on the rear. I have a question about how it works with the air ride adjustment?..or does it replace it partially?, I think I'll go to Elkas site again and try a search her and see if I can find more info. :read:

Everyone that I have talked to that is 'average Joe Ryder' says that there's no reason to replace the rear shock. If you're not racing and not jumping ramps in turns, it's just an extravagance. The front Elka Stage 1 shocks have 50 clicks of fluid adjustments as well as adjusting the 300 lb. spring. Unless you really know what you're doing with the spring tension, leave that for special conditions/situations. For most riding, you should be able to make do with the 50 click range of the fluid dynamics of the shocks.

In our case, I'm around 190 lbs. and the wife is.... um, less than that ") Anyway, If I'm going to be riding by myself for a considerable distance, I'll set my shocks at 20-25 clicks up from the bottom. With both of us on I'll set it at 30 clicks up from bottom. On Elka's, most ppl count up from the bottom setting. If you are on the very bottom click you are allowing the max of shock fluid to pass through the system for a softer ride, albeit the chance for more 'roll out' or swaying in and out as the shocks adjust to the force that is applied to them. The more clicks up you go, the stiffer the shocks will become. Since these fluids have a tendency to get thicker with cold and thinner with heat, you can adjust for that on the fly.

Example: If you stand on your RT/RTS and grasp the grips firmly and shake your weight from right to left repeatedly, that bike will move with you. When the Elka's are installed it won't move from right to left as easily. That's what replicates the 'roll out' that you will experience when going through turns, especially sharper ones at a higher attack speed. At this point in time, I have no reason to purchase a rear shock. The front stock (Fox, I think) shocks are supposedly not worth much after about 12K miles. That's what I hear, so don't anyone attack me if you have had a different experience. If I start to notice that my rear shock needs replacing, I will not hesitate to go with Elka. It doesn't take much to change your own front shocks. Normal tools and a bike jack and some time.

It's not too late to sign up for SpyderFest 2012 in Cuba, MO. Elka and SpyderFest are offering a deal where they'll swap out your stock shocks with Elka Stage 1's and if you don't like them or notice enough of a change to warrant the cost, they'll put your stock's back on and nothing out of pocket... I hope to see you there!


Good luck and welcome to the pack!:thumbup:

[Bob Denman]

Glad to hear another good report on the magic that he performs out there! :2thumbs:
Someday... :shocked:

[Chazzman]

Way to go Kevin, one day I will go see the gang for the same mods...

[SteveMac]

:agree::agree::agree:


Kevin you are so on point!

I picked mine up yesterday. I had the Elkas and the Two Brothers and both were great. But the addition of the green filter, ram air, plugs and wires TOTALLY completed the package. Much more power and responsiveness. I went for a nice little 150 mile ride today. Rear tire keeps wanting to break traction :dontknow::roflblack: And also I peeked down at the speedo a couple of times and was amazed at how freaking quick it gets to 90mph now. I will be getting a ticket soon. I just know it.

But I have to agree with your assessment. This is one helluva package. No joke.

[StriperKing]

Hey gang, I rode down to Cuba, MO. yesterday in near freezing temps again. Len says he's going to change my nick to Iceman, LOL. Three of the last four Fridays that I have ridden down there were in the 30's and below (BTW, it's a 2 hour drive for me). He does some performance package installs in steps. The one that I had done included Elka's Stage 1 front shocks, Ram Air Induction and Green Filter, Nology Performance Plug wires & Iridium plugs, plus the 2 Brother's Carbon Fiber Exhaust.

WOW!

It took me about 10 hours of riding my RTS to 'unlearn' many years of motorcycle, muscle memory, responses. I am having to learn all over again after only 3,800 miles. Doing the mechanical horse power boosting all in one shot and the handling that the Elka's have added is mind-blowing! We were already impressed with what the Spyder had to offer right out of the box. I never did quite like the twistys on it, though. The rolling in and out of the turns was a little much after a while. I didn't realize how much I was fighting it until I left Len's shop with all the goodies mounted and ready for a cold weather break-in.

The Elka's are worth their weight in gold. Not only was I going into the turns 10-15 mph faster, but with confidence and was accelerating midway through the turn like it was on rails! The other stuff feels and sounds awesome. The dyno readings that other folks were getting ranged from the mid/high teens to 20 extra hp at the rear wheel. On top of that, I should expect to gain maybe 5 - 6 mpg do to the more efficient burning of the fuel/air and the 26 lbs difference from stock pipe to CF.

The wife and I suited up in our warmest riding gear and did some running today. She really noticed a difference in how the bike felt on the HWY with the new shocks. She only rides as a passenger at this point in time. Many of you already have these upgrades on your bike, I'm just putting this in for those that are up in the air on what to do next. If you don't do the HP thing, at least check into the Elka shocks. That will make a world of difference on your future riding experiences.:thumbup:
I have the same Elka set-up you have and to add to that, when I went to car tires up front and run them at 30psi I would have to say they made almost as much difference as the shocks did. This thing handles so good right now it is unreal. I would offer to let anyone take a spin on it at Spyderfest if they would like to so they could see if this combo would be right for them or just for the heck of it.

[kevorama]

Agreed, Steve. Once the RPM's got with in a few thou of the red line, it felt like what the 'power band' on a 2-stroke dirt bike used to feel like. It' settled in and really took off.

StriperKing (http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/member.php?5922-StriperKing), I would love to see your car tire setup. The wife and I will be at SF 2012 as part of the MOGANG group. Look me up, I want to see that and get some numbers. The city folks don't want the liability of putting car tires on bikes around here, so we have to go outside of the main stay to get it done.

SP 2012 is rolling in fast. See you all there, I hope. :thumbup:

[StriperKing]

Agreed, Steve. Once the RPM's got with in a few thou of the red line, it felt like what the 'power band' on a 2-stroke dirt bike used to feel like. It' settled in and really took off.

StriperKing (http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/member.php?5922-StriperKing), I would love to see your car tire setup. The wife and I will be at SF 2012 as part of the MOGANG group. Look me up, I want to see that and get some numbers. The city folks don't want the liability of putting car tires on bikes around here, so we have to go outside of the main stay to get it done.

SP 2012 is rolling in fast. See you all there, I hope. :thumbup:

I bought the tires on line but Cowtown put them on and did an alignment for me. They do a great job. Here are my tires. General Altimax HP 185/60R14

412374123841239

[Mr. White]

You gentlemen do not list the year of your RT's. I understand the 2011 (2012) models have upgraded shocks and handle better than the OEM shocks on the 2010 machines. I ride the twisties northwest of San Antonio and BR1 seems to handle quite well. However, I do not have another RT available to compare it with. Your comments please.

:spyder2:

[SteveMac]

You gentlemen do not list the year of your RT's. I understand the 2011 (2012) models have upgraded shocks and handle better than the OEM shocks on the 2010 machines. I ride the twisties northwest of San Antonio and BR1 seems to handle quite well. However, I do not have another RT available to compare it with. Your comments please.

:spyder2:



Hey George.
I have a 2010 and so the Elka front shocks were a HUGE improvement for me. I also have one of the 2010s that had the bad series of rear shocks, so the rear Elka was also a big improvement for me also.

[StriperKing]

Mine is a 2010 also and I have an RS-S rear shock on mine.

[kevorama]

George, mine is a 2011 RTS and it still made a hell of a difference. I didn't think that the original could be improved upon... I was wrong. It kind of reminds me of TV shopping. The $500 TV looks and sounds great until you see the one next to it for $700 and the one next to it for $1,000 etc. etc. etc. If you're at SpyderFest this year look me up and you can take mine for a spin to see if you notice enough of a difference to warrant the expense. They are making a great deal on Elka's at the fest this year. They'll put on the new ones and if you don't like them they'll put your old ones back on for no charge.

[spyder-dude]

Hey gang, I rode down to Cuba, MO. yesterday in near freezing temps again. Len says he's going to change my nick to Iceman, LOL. Three of the last four Fridays that I have ridden down there were in the 30's and below (BTW, it's a 2 hour drive for me). He does some performance package installs in steps. The one that I had done included Elka's Stage 1 front shocks, Ram Air Induction and Green Filter, Nology Performance Plug wires & Iridium plugs, plus the 2 Brother's Carbon Fiber Exhaust.

WOW!

It took me about 10 hours of riding my RTS to 'unlearn' many years of motorcycle, muscle memory, responses. I am having to learn all over again after only 3,800 miles. Doing the mechanical horse power boosting all in one shot and the handling that the Elka's have added is mind-blowing! We were already impressed with what the Spyder had to offer right out of the box. I never did quite like the twistys on it, though. The rolling in and out of the turns was a little much after a while. I didn't realize how much I was fighting it until I left Len's shop with all the goodies mounted and ready for a cold weather break-in.

The Elka's are worth their weight in gold. Not only was I going into the turns 10-15 mph faster, but with confidence and was accelerating midway through the turn like it was on rails! The other stuff feels and sounds awesome. The dyno readings that other folks were getting ranged from the mid/high teens to 20 extra hp at the rear wheel. On top of that, I should expect to gain maybe 5 - 6 mpg do to the more efficient burning of the fuel/air and the 26 lbs difference from stock pipe to CF.

The wife and I suited up in our warmest riding gear and did some running today. She really noticed a difference in how the bike felt on the HWY with the new shocks. She only rides as a passenger at this point in time. Many of you already have these upgrades on your bike, I'm just putting this in for those that are up in the air on what to do next. If you don't do the HP thing, at least check into the Elka shocks. That will make a world of difference on your future riding experiences.:thumbup:


How much does this package cost? Do they offer this for the RSS?

Thanks,

Shawn

[SteveMac]

How much does this package cost? Do they offer this for the RSS?

Thanks,

Shawn


Just give Len Damouth (The Pittbull Buggy) a call at 1-800-258-6898 and he will have all the info for you! :thumbup::thumbup:

[spyder-dude]

Thanks....Just placed my order for the Elka shocks, Nology plugs/wires and green filter! :)

[kevorama]

Probably the most enjoyable investment you'll make. That's how I feel, anyway.

[pitbull]

Thanks fire & ice man! Very cool bike!